What? You think I don't eat steak—that I only eat arugula around here? No way. I love a juicy steak as much as the next lady. Usually, about once a month I start craving a medium rare steak topped with au poivre sauce. When I crave steak
Michael Landrum
So what can I say about Ray's that hasn't already been written? Not much. Bottom line: Ray’s the Steaks (and Ray's Classics)
Damn, it's hot out. Drinks are in order, and I've had a few tasty ones this summer. Here're a few places to head for after work:
It's not exactly outdoor patio weather, but, if you dare to venture to a restaurant with outside seating, Rockland's BBQ has refreshing, fruity mason jar cocktails. At a recent blogger party, I tried the icy peach tea (vodka, peach schnapps, sprite, and cranberry juice) with some tasty BBQ pork egg rolls.
If you need air conditioning, I had the best drink of my life (not hyperbole) at Firefly. It was a martini caprese made from basil infused vodka and tomato water. It tasted like a giant tomato salad THAT YOU DRINK. Way better and lighter than a bloody mary. Shimmy up to the bar, order this cocktail and a plate of mac and cheese. You can thank me later.
Looking for a bargain? Try my favorite DC happy hour: Taberna del Alabardero, a spanish tapas restaurant downtown. You can sit inside at the bar or on the outside patio; either way, Taberna offers 50 percent off tapas (try the artichokes, chorizo, and garlic shrimp) and sangria pitchers. I like the blond version best.
It's a long haul up the hill, but if you walk up 18th street you'll soon come to my favorite bar: the Black Squirrel. Try the white ale and order a plate of organic fried chicken.
Had a great summer drink? Tell us where in the comments.
Sweet Green is a welcome change in a city crowded with unimaginative, tasteless salad bars that serve low-quality ingredients, like iceberg lettuce and gluey lo mein, both serious detours to healthy eating. You know exactly what I'm talking about because those "salad /hot food bar" places are ubiquitous in DC.
Sweet Green offers a number of signature salads that will make your stomach do the Safety Dance. My favorite combination, however, is my own creation: arugula and romaine with edamame, carrots, gorgonzola, craisins, and walnuts with white balsamic orange zest dressing. This salad not only makes you want to eat a salad; it makes you crave salad.
Admittedly, I used to think that Twitter was silly. I joined the site to take it for a test ride; to see how handled. Would it feel like I was was driving around in a clown car, looking absurd, not fitting in, adults feeling annoyed by my childish antics? Or would it feel like I was behind the wheel of an ice cream truck, with people running to greet me, handing me money, and, generally, going crazy when they heard my tweet, er, bell. Turns out, it feels like neither. Twitter is akin to driving a scooter: people may think you are a poseur (with your absurd goggles, scarf tied around your neck, and cat in the front basket), but you don't really care because tweeting around town feels great, and, much like a scooter, it can be practical. Like you could start a revolution.
Mediocre restaurants used to litter the streets of Capitol Hill. They still do, in fact. What has changed during the past decade is the addition of neighborhood eateries that offer memorable dishes, served in pleasant surroundings. Cava Mezze, a Greek tapas restaurant that started in Rockville, is among the newest spots on 8th Street, an area, I might note, that was once a good food desert, but now has more tasty high-end restaurants than fast food joints.
I ate at Cava Mezza a couple months ago, splitting a few small plates (saganaki, hummus, baked shrimp, and calamari) with a friend. The dish that keeps coming back to me is one that we did not order. Before the meal, our waiter dropped off a small plate of harissa and pita. Zoinks! The plate was an outstanding stand-in for typical bread and butter basket, and this particular harissa was like none I had tried before. Cava's harissa, made from tomatoes and peppers, is mild, with a spicy bite layered with olive oil. I'm now a junkie, a harrissahead, desperately in need of treatment, who spends a lot of time thinking about how to get my next fix. It's that good.
Just look at that crab cake. It's huge. Lumps of sweet crab meat with a pinch of filler. Just enough to hold it together. On our first trip to Eatonville, Marcus and I were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. It was more than a solid meal at a the right price point, which is what you will find next door at Busboys and Poets. Eatonville's crab cake was among the best I've had in the city, and let me tell you I've eaten a lot of crab cakes. Add the pickled onions and arugula topping and this crab cake was dressed for something special. Me!
Recently, I was one of many lucky blogger guests of Planet Wine's Farm Table. The Farm Table is spearheaded by Chef Will Artley, who heads the kitchen at Evening Star Cafe, the popular neighborhood restaurant next door. The Farm Table, which anchors the room at Planet Wine Shop, provides Chef Artley an opportunity to create new dishes based on seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms. My dinner was a veritable visit to farms across the Chesapeake Bay and Pennsylvania. There were soft-shell crabs, ramps, fava beans, asparagus, morels, strawberries, and rhubarb. Oh my! My favorite dish, by far, was the Ricotta Gnocchi with Spring Pea Ragout, Baby Carrots and Mint Pesto. I fooddream® about this dish.
I'm working on getting the recipe. I told the Chef that I would drop dead from joy if he shared it. I will share it with you (before I keel over, of course).
Yes, those crowds waiting for a table on a Friday night are preposterous. True, I could replicate many of the dishes at home. I'm with you on the spotty service: it sucks. And why wait until 11:00 to open for brunch on Sunday? Despite the long list of complaints, the good outweighs the bad at Lauriol Plaza. You just have to know what you are doing to enjoy its highlights. First, don't go on a Friday or Saturday night. That's just asking for trouble. You also need to know what to order. The best dish, in my opinion, is the Masitas de Puerco. Pork with bitter oranges, Cuban style, served with fried plantains, black beans, and rice. Sure, the cooks turn over quicker than pancakes, so food consistency is a problem, but it usually ranges from good to great, never bad, and at $11.50, they are practically giving that pork away. Speaking of another reason to love Lauriol -- it's recession-ready. And did I mention the tortillas? Tortillas so soft you could use them as a pillow, and, of course, there are the chips and salsa. Other dish recommendations? The creamy Enchiladas de Mariscos or Chicken Fajitas, a solid standby. The Huevos Entomatados is a wise choice at brunch.
I finally made it to Founding Farmers, the new restaurant built around sustainable concepts. The restaurant is gorgeous, with long wooden tables and lots of windows.
I ordered the arctic char with cracked pepper and lemon; it was tasty, but not spectacular. It came with a side of whipped, creamy potatoes and parsnips. Everyone knows how I feel about parsnips, so I won't get into that one. The potatoes were good, but what's not to love about cream and butter? My friend Bridget ordered the roasted chicken with corn on the cob bathed in deliciousness, and my friend Anne ordered the thanksgiving turkey sandwich with french fries. The corn left Bridget with a big, buttery smile, and she seemed quite happy with the chicken as well. According to Anne, the turkey sandwich needed more seasoning, "write that one in your blog, Mary." Overall our meals were consistently good. I would count this as a go-to place if you are in the area after work, but not a planned destination.
There are not many good Chinese food restaurants in DC, so when Marcus and I traveled to visit friends in NYC the idea of going to Flushing for Chinese was super exciting. We ended up at Spicy and Tasty where I had the best dumpling I've ever eaten. The dumpling was served in chili oil with garlic and was filled with fatty, salty pork. We also ordered crab sichuan style; the sauce struck a number of notes: garlic, chilis, ginger, and plums and was topped off with fresh cilantro. Although the sauce was good enough to drink, it made it difficult to break apart the crab. We did a lot of sucking on shells and finger licking.
